Cassie stared at the floor of her dimly lit cell, shadows clinging to her like loyal pets. Her fingers twitched, subconsciously manipulating the darkness around her. Thoughts drifted to a memory she couldn't shake — one of betrayal, pain, and blood.
Cassie's Backstory
Cassie grew up in a broken neighborhood, where loyalty was the only currency that meant anything. Her mutant powers awakened when she was just ten — shadows responded to her emotions, hiding her from bullies, lashing out at anyone who tried to hurt her. She was scared at first, but her friends encouraged her to hone her power.
They called themselves The Shade Pack — a group of teens with minor mutant gifts. They trained together, protected each other, and ran small-time jobs. For a while, life felt like a found family.
But it was a lie.
A mercenary group offered Cassie's friends money in exchange for selling her out. Her power was unique, something worth harvesting. They took the deal. One night, during a 'mission,' they led her into an ambush. Cassie barely escaped, her body bruised, her trust shattered.
From that moment, she became a shadow herself — a ghost, an assassin, a weapon for hire. No more friends. No more trust. Just survival.
Cassie looked down, sorrow etched into her face.
"Hey, you look down. Wanna talk about it?" Adrian's voice cut through the silence, paired with a cheeky smile.
Without hesitation, Cassie conjured a razor-sharp spike from the floor and hurled it at him.
"Oh shit!" Adrian yelped, activating Permeation just in time. The shadow spike passed harmlessly through his body.
"Who the hell are you?!" she barked. "How'd you get in here?!"
"Calm down," Adrian said, hands raised. "Name's Adrian. Been locked up here two weeks. I've got a plan to escape."
She narrowed her eyes. "Why tell me?"
"Because I need your help. I read your report — your power's strong. If you're in, we've got a real shot."
"And if this is a setup?"
"It's not. But I get it — trust is a luxury here. So... here's the plan."
Escape Plan (With Cassie's Role)
Phase 1: My friend Bobby causes a staged equipment failure in the camera network during the midnight rotation (weakest shift).
Phase 2: me and you disable their collars using EMP devices at exactly 11:00 p.m. on day five.
Phase 3: you uses her shadow manipulation to black out key corridors, confusing guards and blocking backup routes.
Phase 4: me i, using Permeation and High Specs, disables the interior gates while Bobby collects key items (maps, walkie-talkies, lab chemicals).
Phase 5: Meet at Sector D's loading bay. Steal a vehicle during shift change and escape through the garbage transit tunnel — the only blind spot in the external perimeter.
Cassie crossed her arms. "Sounds plausible... but how do I know you're competent?"
Adrian smirked. "Let me show you."
He knelt and scribbled a complex formula onto the concrete using a piece of broken pencil. "That's the airflow algorithm for this building's entire ventilation system."
He then released a thick cloud of smoke with Smokescreen, shrouding the cell. Cassie barely saw him before he phased through the back wall, reappearing seconds later from the ceiling.
"Do you have three mutant abilities or something?" she asked, stunned.
"Nope. I'm something else — I'm a quirk user."
She raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference?"
"My powers don't come from the X-Gene. Those suppressor collars? They don't affect me. Now tell me — how are you still making those shadow spikes?"
She smirked coldly. "These collars aren't strong enough to hold me. I've felt worse."
Adrian muttered, "Edge lord..."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing! I said... cool ability. Ha..."
He pulled out a small device. "This is a custom EMP grenade. It'll knock out your collar for good. Set it off at exactly 11:00 p.m. — five days from now."
Cassie studied him, then nodded slowly. "Fine. I'll consider it. But know this, Adrian — if you screw me over, I will make your life hell."
"Understood," he said, trying not to sweat. This chick is crazy...
Bobby's POV
It'd been two days since Adrian got tossed into solitary. Bobby sat hunched in a maintenance closet, backpack at his feet.
"I hope he's okay," he muttered. "I got what he asked for."
He listed it off quietly:
Three walkie-talkies
Two copies of the facility map
One bag of sand
"I still don't know why he needs sand... but whatever. The last thing's the hardest — lab chemicals. Stuff I can't even pronounce."
He stared at the vents overhead.
"This whole plan sounds like some damn myth... but if anyone can pull it off, it's Adrian."